Climbing The Tybee Island Lighthouse

The Tybee Island Lighthouse is the oldest and tallest lighthouse in Georgia and is STILL lighting the way for mariners heading to the Savannah River! Just 20 minutes away from Savannah you can visit this lighthouse and museum. It’s been rebuilt a few times, the last one was burned down during the civil war and the one standing today is made out of metal and is fireproof!

📍Tybee Island Light Station & Museum

30 Meddin Dr, Tybee Island, GA 31328

Hours: 9am – 5:30pm

Open everyday except Tuesdays and major holidays.

🌟 Last ticket is sold at 4:30pm!

Admission Costs:

Adults $9

Seniors $7

Children (6-17) $7

Children under 6 are FREE

This little booth is where you pay to get your ticket. It’s painted to look like a mini lighthouse, so cute! Your admission fee admits you to both the lighthouse and museum. They are a little strict with what’s allowed in, no backpacks or large purses. Nikki was wearing a crop top and shorts and was almost turned away, so be sure to dress accordingly!

Directly across the street is their museum and also an entrance to the beach.

As you walk up to the lighthouse they have an outdoor area with pictures and facts about the history of the lighthouse. Above you can see a picture of the original Tybee Island Lighthouse that was taken during the Civil War.

The lighthouse required daily maintenance, so these cottages were built around the 1800’s as the homes of the Lighthouse Keepers, and are open during the tour!

They also have a gift shop which was once a three car garage! We stopped in to get some souvenirs, they had all sorts of things. Everything from t-shirts and posters, to cute beachy home decor, really anything you can think of!

178 steps to the top!

When we entered the lighthouse, we were greeted by one of the staff who gave us two green cards that we had to hold onto and return when we came back down. Since it’s fairly small, they ask you to limit your time at the top to 10 minutes and only allow a certain amount of people up at a time. This was the best way for them to keep count of how many people are at the top. They also warned us that if we heard any thunder to come right back down, because the lighthouse is made of metal and it could be dangerous if there’s lightning!

🌟Another warning sign we saw was that there are wasps at the top of the lighthouse and to use caution. So if you’re allergic you should not climb to the top!!

There is a rest stop with a lookout window every 25 steps on the way up!

Once we reached the top we had to open a metal door to the outside, which opened up to a balcony that wrapped around the top of the lighthouse so you could walk all the way around and see Tybee Island from every angle! We were able to see the actual light of the lighthouse too. They never turn the light off!💡

The view from the top is totally worth the climb! It’s seriously so pretty and we could see the beaches of the Atlantic Ocean/Savannah River, and some colorful beach homes!😍 Not to mention the breeze up top felt amazing after walking up all those steps!💪🏼

Before we left Tybee Island to head back home to Atlanta we had to see it one last time at night. We’ll definitely never forget about this lighthouse!

They never turn the light off!💡

The Tybee Island lighthouse holds a lot of historical significance and gives the island so much charm. As soon as you cross the bridge into Tybee Island from downtown Savannah, you can spot the top of the Tybee lighthouse. It’s really draws you towards it, which makes so much sense why the lighthouse exists, and has guided Mariners to the Savannah River for centuries. The price is totally worth the visit to this beloved landmark. The views were incredible up top, and is definitely worth a stop on Tybee!